


We two have run around the slopes, and picked the daisies fine

by VanityNaylor



Series: Vanity Fest [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Pure Unadulterated Fluff, Vanity, Vanity Fest, kind of funny, sickly sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 20:19:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16226585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanityNaylor/pseuds/VanityNaylor
Summary: Day one: Firsts.





	We two have run around the slopes, and picked the daisies fine

**Author's Note:**

> Vanity Fest is upon us! We love you Vanity we do! So the theme for today is firsts... The layout kind of explains itself, 12 separate little ficlets for the 1st day of each month.

**1st January ******

********

00:01.  
The world is partying. The Woolpack is heaving. The booze is flowing. The residents are singing. The inhabitants of Tug Ghyll however, are fast asleep. Nestled close together in the patchwork armchair, two young boys are sound asleep. Clutching a dog-eared rabbit and a rather tatty dinosaur respectively, Moses and Johnny are the mirror image of their mothers. The tune of Auld Lang Syne is softly serenading the sleeping group as a forgotten TV show hums in the background. Two blonde haired women lay peacefully together, limbs entangled, with not an inch of space between them. Some who knew them might be shocked that this how they spent their first official New Year’s together, but for Charity and Vanessa it was perfect. It had been a long bloody year.

**1st February ******

********

‘Vanessa I swear to god if you don’t shut off that bleeding alarm clock I am leaving.’ Charity grumbled. It was half past six in the flaming morning.  
‘Well I’m sorry Charity but some of us have to go to work and earn a living. We can’t all sleep until we want to.’  
‘Right, first off I am employed thank you very much and did in fact finish my shift at one o’clock this morning. As in five hours ago. And secondly the most important part of what you just said was ‘some’ of us. As in, not me.’ Charity reached blindly for the pillow next to her, throwing it in the vague direction of where she presumed Vanessa would be stood. In no way was she opening her eyes at this despicable hour.

‘Wow good shot Charity.’  
The grumpy landlady opened one eye, disappointed to find the pillow hadn’t even left the bed.  
‘Yeah well I’m knackered. Leave me alone. It’s too bloody early for this.’ She face planted the pillow again, exhaling with a content sigh as she felt a kiss be pressed to her cheek.  
‘See you later.’ Vanessa whispered in her ear, as she rose from the bed. She received a hum in response. ‘Love you.’  
‘Love you.’ Charity called after the nearly not suspended anymore vet. 

**1st March ******

The early spring morning brought with it a crisp breeze and a nip to the air. To most, this would seem an inconvenience. To Charity and Vanessa however, it was an excuse to huddle even closer than normal as they walked their boys to nursery. Moses clutching Vanessa’s hand, and Johnny clutching Charity’s. 

‘This is nice.’ Vanessa hummed.  
‘What? Freezing your knickers off or being dragged on what I can only presume is a wild goose chase by our adorable sons?’  
‘You mean the wild goose chase to search for a ‘sign of spring’ that their teacher told you was needed for today not a week ago?’ Vanessa arched one eyebrow and she looked up at Charity. 

‘Right I don’t know how many more times I can say it, that nursery needs to start sending out emails. Too many things to remember, I tell you.’  
‘What I meant was, it’s nice just us. Cuddling my girlfriend, enjoying the spring weather… You know…’ Vanessa continued on her initial point, squeezing Charity’s waist for effect.  
‘Yeah I know what you mean.’ Charity placed a kiss to the crown of the smaller blonde’s head, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo. ‘Hey boys!’ She exclaimed. ‘How about we go steal one of Moira’s lambs and show your teacher a proper sign of spring?’  
Needless to say, the boys were a little late to nursery that morning.

**1st April ******

********

‘APRIL FOOLS!’ The sleeping couple were jolted awake by a pair of screeching boys. Noah stood in the doorway chuckling to himself as the blonde women shook the sleep out of their system warily looking around for signs of an April fools. Nothing. No creepy crawlies, no unpleasant smells, nothing.  
‘Right you little monsters.’ Charity commanded. ‘What’ve you done?’  
‘APRIL FOOLS!’ The boys squealed again, running out of the room.  
‘Alright Noah spill.’ Charity turned on the teenager.  
‘My lips are sealed mum.’ He grinned, watching Vanessa surreptitiously smell the water on her bedside table. ‘I just explained to them what April Fools was. Nothing more. See you later.’ He smiled, disappearing down the stairs.

All day Charity and Vanessa were on guard for something. Nothing came. Dinner rolled around and Charity was quite clearly losing her patience over the whole situation so Vanessa took charge.  
‘Okay boys. I need you to be honest with me. What have you two been up to today?’ She asked in her best mum tone.  
‘Nothing!’ Johnny replied, with Moses shaking his head in solidarity beside him.  
‘What day is it today Johnny?’  
‘It’s April!’ He grinned, nudging Moses.  
‘You fools!’ Moses added before they both jumped down from the dinner table and ran away from their bemused mothers, giggling wickedly as they went.

‘Please tell me we have not just been played all day by two three year olds.’ Vanessa placed her forehead in her hands.  
‘Those two are going to be an absolute nightmare growing up aren’t they?’ Charity sighed.  
‘Charity I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they already are.’

**1st May ******

********

‘Marry in May rue the day…’ Charity whispered into Vanessa’s ear. Vanessa rolled her eyes at her companion. Dressed in an elegant sky blue floor length gown, she had blushed when Charity had compared her to Cinderella earlier in the day. Pete and Rhona getting married meant Vanessa was maid of honour, which came with not only a lovely dress, but an awful lot of responsibility too. The two blondes had spent barely five minutes together since the wedding began, and that made neither of them particularly happy. But now, they stood side by side watching the newlyweds embark upon their first dance. 

‘So May is out of the question is it?’ Vanessa queried, snaking Charity’s arms round her waist, as they continued to watch Pete and Rhona move across the dance floor. Charity’s hands reached for Vanessa’s left, brushing over the ring adorning her fourth finger.  
‘December.’  
‘Hmm?’ Vanessa turned her head slightly, furrowing her brow.  
‘December the 1st.’  
‘Really?’  
‘Why? Have you got other plans?’ Charity turned Vanessa to face her, smiling at how shocked the vet looked.  
‘No! Of course not, I just presumed we’d be plodding along as fiancés for a bit longer… You know considering it took you a year to admit you loved me… Then another six months to agree to make an honest woman of me.’  
‘Oh babe, you’re always honest.’ Charity winked.  
‘Charity.’  
‘Look we can talk about this more later… But for now I want to dance with my fiancé.’ Charity proclaimed, as she grabbed Vanessa by the hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.

**1st June ******

********

It was a Sunday morning. Vanessa was not in a good mood. She had been up half the night with Johnny after a bad dream involving a pumpkin had left him distraught, and everyone else in the house seemed in an unfairly chipper mood. She had just managed to get back to sleep when Charity got in the shower. What many people don’t understand however, is that when Charity Dingle gets in the shower, she is actually getting on stage for her one woman show. Today appeared to be Motown themed, and whilst Vanessa normally loved nothing more than listening to her favourite woman sing, today she was not only overtired, she was also bloated and had the worst cramps known to woman. Five minutes in and Charity was halfway through ‘Dancing in the Street’. Vanessa was done.

She stormed into the bathroom and knocked the speaker off of the window ledge. Unfortunately, she got the angle wrong in her frustration, and the speaker ended up in the bathtub, under the running stream of water.  
‘Babe! What the hell?’ Charity whipped back the curtain. ‘You broke my speaker!’ She exclaimed, as the speaker died before her.  
‘Yeah well, you broke my lasagne dish.’ Vanessa retorted, grabbing the painkillers from above the sink before storming straight back out of the bathroom.  
‘Oh come on that was nearly a year ago!’ Charity yelled.  
‘247 days actually.’ Vanessa popped her head back round the door, grinning sheepishly at Charity, before exiting once more.

**1st July ******

********

‘Vanessa listen-’  
‘No Cain. You listen. All of you listen.’ Vanessa spoke clearly, demanding the attention of every Dingle in the room. ‘Do not sit there and fob me off saying I don’t understand how the Dingle way works. I know perfectly well how your family functions. You sit there preaching about how family comes first, and how you all support each other. Yes you’ve all had a pretty rubbish time of it lately, but guess what. So has Charity. So don’t you dare sit there and claim she cares about no one but herself. That she’ll never change.’

Vanessa had walked in on another unofficial Dingle meeting, Charity once again sat in the corner alone.  
‘Oh come on love, you don’t even know what she’s done this time!’  
‘Chas I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. What matters is, that whenever any of you have needed Charity she has been there. Yet the one time she needed you all and needed that support from you, none of you could be bothered to even lift a finger until all the hard parts were over. Charity, come on. Time for a Woodfield family meeting.’ Vanessa grabbed Charity by the hand and marched her out of the room, without so much as a second glance to all the other occupants.

Faiths voice travelled into the hall.  
‘That little firecracker has a point you know.’  
‘Thank you.’ Charity tugged Vanessa into a hug, releasing the tension she had been holding inside for the last half an hour.

‘Out of curiosity, what did you do this time to wind up the dozy Dingles?’  
‘You know last night we’d both had a bit much to drink and I popped out to get another bottle of wine?’  
Vanessa nodded in response.  
‘Well I may have snuck back to the pub to get said bottle of wine, and erm locked Paddy in the cellar overnight…’  
‘Oh pity. I think you’re losing your touch. Not nearly as exciting as getting eaten by a combine harvester. Next time they drag you into one of those insufferable meetings call me. I’m sitting in on the next one.’

**1st August ******

********

‘Babe I am so sorry. I swear I didn’t mean for it to happen.’  
Charity had entered their home in a pleasant mood, she’d managed to wangle the afternoon of from the pub, no thanks to her effortless charm. The bounce in her step only heightened as she remembered Vanessa herself was working from home. What she hadn’t expected to find as she opened the front door was a stone faced, very angry Vanessa. Charity looked past the clearly furious vet, and her heart dropped as she saw the television screen. 

‘Oh really?’ Vanessa stood tall (metaphorically speaking), arms crossed in front of her chest.  
‘Honestly I swear. It was the night before last. You were out on call and I was sat up waiting for you because I’m a daft mare that couldn’t stop worrying about you being out in the dark alone. I flicked on the TV and it was there waiting. The auto play must’ve kicked in or something and before I realised it was too late.’ Charity rushed the explanation.

‘I can’t believe you did this Charity. It’s the LAST season. We were supposed to watch it together. You Netflix cheater.’ Vanessa scolded Charity, shaking her finger at her for effect.  
‘Babe I swear I didn’t finish the season! There’s still two episodes I haven’t seen I promise. Look, how about I go and buy us snacks and wine and you watch the episode you haven’t yet, then we can watch the rest together yeah?’ Charity was trying her best to resolve the situation, and a sharp nod from Vanessa had the landlady marching back out the front door. Just as the opening titles started up….  
‘The animals, the animals. Trapped trapped trapped til the cage is full…’

**1st September ******

********

********

‘I love you.’  
They lay in bed together, as close together as physically possible. The duvet covering them both, arms wrapped tightly around each other.  
‘And I love you.’  
‘I feel like I don’t tell you that enough.’

‘Charity.’ Vanessa stopped the taller blonde, a hand coming to cup her cheek. ‘I know you love me. I see it every time you look at me. I hear it every time you call me babe, or Ness, or tiny blonde rocket woman. I feel it whenever I’m with you. What you don’t say in words, you more than make up for in actions. In the way you treat Johnny as one of your own, in the way you put up with my dad at family parties, but most of all in the way you are with me.’

‘I’m so glad you crashed into my life in your silly yellow cape.’ Charity chuckled. ‘God knows what a mess I’d be in now if you hadn’t swooped in and saved me.’  
‘Hey.’ Vanessa poked her on the nose. ‘There’s no point dwelling on what might’ve been. What matters is now – and right now, I want to go to sleep in the arms of the woman I love very much. Okay?’  
Charity nodded, as she closed her eyes, pulling Vanessa even closer.

**1st October ******

********

********

‘I told you conkers was a bad idea!’ Vanessa exclaimed as she sat beside Charity and Moses in A&E.  
‘Hey! It’s not my fault your son is an expert shot when it comes to flicking conkers on a piece of string.’ Charity gestured to Moses who was sporting a rather impressive black eye. Vanessa’s eyes narrowed as a nurse approached. 

‘Moses Dingle.’ Charity picked Moses up and placed him on her hip as they trio made their way into a hospital bay. ‘The doctor will be in shortly.’ The two women sat entertaining Moses as best they could whilst they waited. Nearly ten minutes later a Patrick Dempsey lookalike pulled back the curtain and flashed Charity and Vanessa an a million watt smile.

‘Sorry about the wait. Chaos out there.’ He winked at Vanessa, looking her up and down in the process. ‘You must be Miss Dingle.’  
‘Nope that’s me sunshine.’ Charity intervened, walking between the doctor and the vet.  
‘Oh my mistake. You are?’ He peered round Charity looking at Vanessa once more. Charity however stepped into his path again.  
‘The future Mrs Dingle.’ She announced, holding a thumb up behind her back. ‘Now if you wouldn’t mind stopping ogling my future wife just long enough to examine my son that would be wonderful.’

**1st November ******

********

********

Vanessa heard the soft sniffles coming from her fiancé. They had both had pretty rubbish weeks at work, and as luck would have it had the evening to themselves. However, their Wi-Fi was down, so their entertainment choices were limited to the small DVD collection the boys shared. After a small disagreement, Monsters Inc. had been selected. 

‘Charity?’ Vanessa looked down at her companion, and her heart swelled as she saw the tears pooled in her eyes.  
‘This part gets me alright?’ The indignant tone in Charity’s voice on any other occasion would have made Vanessa chuckle, but tonight Vanessa just kissed her forehead and settled back down. Sully had just said goodbye to Boo, and Vanessa completely understood why this scene in particular had made Charity tear up. Charity had said goodbye to too many people in her lifetime, and Vanessa was determined she would not become one of them.

‘Sully really loved Boo.’ Charity’s breath hitched as she tried to explain. Vanessa shushed her.  
‘And I really love you, you daft mare.’ Vanessa pulled Charity even closer as the film continued. 

**1st December ******

********

********

‘Sometimes, someone comes into your life, so unexpectedly, takes your heart by surprise, and changes your life forever.’ The soft tones of Charity’s voice echoed around the grand room. ‘When you stormed into my cellar – into my life – I had no idea that you tiny blonde rocket woman would end up rocking my world more than I ever could yours.’ Chuckles reverberated around the room, as Vanessa gave Charity a watery grin. ‘Your unwavering support and love has been my guiding light over these past two years, and words cannot express how truly thankful I am to you for never once letting me feel guilty. Letting me feel ashamed. You stood up for me when no one else would – and you stuck by me through thick and through thin. You’re my soulmate and my best friend. I love you.’ Charity brushed a hand against the tears cascading down her nearly-wife’s cheeks. Raising her eyebrows she dramatically whispered to Vanessa. ‘It’s your turn babe!’ Light-hearted laughter filled the room once more.

‘You know, I had this whole speech planned where I was going to declare how much I love you and how you deserve the world.’ Vanessa started, her voice shaking ever so slightly. ‘Which is without a doubt true by the way. But hearing you say that, made me realise just how lucky I am. It’s no secret that you were somewhat of an awakening to me, but what people don’t know is just how much you saved me. I’d been wondering through life aimlessly, hoping someone would turn up and give it purpose again. Safe to say I wasn’t quite looking for a sarcastic demanding land lady, but I am so glad it was you I found. You are everything to me, and I cannot imagine my life without you. I love you so very much.’ 

Love is not something you go out and look for. Love finds you. And when it does, ready or not, it’ll be the best thing to ever happen to you. Charity wasn’t looking for Vanessa, and Vanessa certainly wasn’t looking for Charity. But they found each other, and with it discovered a whole new meaning to the word love.


End file.
